Author's Note

This one is Twilight Sparkle/Sunset Shimmer. Rated E for everyone!

Element of Empathy

The buzzing of the journal made Twilight stop what she was doing and go to pick it up. She opened it to the last page she had written on, and saw several new lines of text. She slid into a chair to read.

Dear Princess Twilight,

How are you? I hope things are well in Equestria.

I’m writing because I’m not sure who else to talk to. Things have become very lonely for me. My friends here are all heading off to college or jobs and they don’t have much time to hang out anymore. We’re all still great friends, and I can call them whenever I want, but I’m not sure what I want to do now. I’ve graduated from high school, I could go to college, but it just… doesn’t feel right.

I guess I just want advice. What should I do with my life now? I’m used to the human world but I grew up in Equestria and all the careers I’d ever considered require me to be in Equestria. I’m just feeling lost. I’ll be happy for any advice on this.

Your faithful student,

Sunset Shimmer

Twilight frowned. Sunset has been struggling with this for a while. But she would do her best to help her. She picked up a quill and wrote a response.

Dear Sunset,

I’m doing well. A lot has been happening here lately, many of my friends have been moving on with their lives too. Some of them are even dating- Rarity is even talking marriage! But nonetheless, our friendship remains strong and we always make time for each other.

Reach out to your friends. Tell them how you’re feeling. I’m sure they’ll be happy to give you advice too. As for what you should do, really the sky’s the limit. That world may not have magic-based careers, but it has so many possibilities that Equestria doesn’t. You could work with airplanes. Computers. Programming. Or you could do something with your amazing singing.

Twilight paused for a few moments as she considered something, then decided to suggest it.

Or, if you really feel as if Equestria is your true home, you could come back. You were Celestia’s student. You’re a very talented unicorn and I’m sure I could find a place for you. If that’s what you want. Otherwise, think about what you have a passion for. What do you like doing? Then get a degree related to that or find a job that will let you do it.

I wish you luck, and feel free to write if you have any concerns.

Your friend,

Twilight Sparkle

She set her quill down and left the book open, sure that Sunset would have more to say. In the meantime, she continued reviewing the disciplinary report that had been forwarded to her by Starlight Glimmer. It was a complicated case and she wanted Twilight’s opinion.

“Ugh, always so sad when ponies try to solve things with violence,” she said sadly. It had been two stallions who got into a physical brawl during an argument, and through eyewitness accounts she had an idea of what exactly happened, but she was still unsure how to proceed.

She reviewed the notes. They started out arguing after their last class but were still in the school. From their own confessions, and corroborated by witnesses, one of the stallions had accused the other of having a bad attitude and not belonging in a school for friendship. He had cited the stallion’s ‘bad temper’ and ‘cruel sense of humor.’

The other stallion had responded hotly, giving credence to the accusations, and then they had started bickering. Insults were exchanged, and finally the bad tempered stallion had turned and kicked the other one. It had just turned into a scuffle past that point, until Starlight, hearing the screams and whinnies, had run out of her office and yanked them apart with magic.

“Oh, Sage Brush, why’d you have to prove him right?” Twilight sighed. She read over the injuries both sustained. Sage Brush, the larger of the two and also an earth pony, was the least injured. He mostly had bruises, though there were a few cuts to his chest and neck from his opponent’s hooves, and he had a fractured sternum.

Meanwhile, the smaller pegasus, Gust Rider, had received more serious wounds. Several deep cuts, some broken ribs, a torn ear, and even a few cracked teeth. Luckily, medical unicorns had been able to repair his teeth and he was currently recovering in the hospital, making good progress last Twilight heard.

Sage would be receiving a much sterner reprimand, but Gust wasn’t forgiven either, as he had intentionally provoked him.

Twilight groaned. She wanted to expel Sage, but Starlight was certain that with counseling, he could be an excellent student. Meanwhile, Gust has stated that if Sage remained, he wanted to have his schedule rearranged so they weren’t in any classes together. That was understandable, but should she let them solve this with avoidance, or should she try to get them to make amends?

The journal buzzed. Twilight put the report aside and read Sunset’s response.

Dear Twilight,

Thank you for the quick response. I’m glad things are going well in Equestria.

My friends here understand my concerns. They’ve given me a lot of great suggestions as to what I should do from here on out, but while a few careers sound interesting, I’ve found myself missing Equestria and the opportunities it provides. And that’s why I think I’m going to come back. I’ve made great progress toward understanding how magic works in this world, but I miss my pony body. I miss being able to just open doors and move objects with my thoughts. I miss seeing other ponies, and I especially miss you.

In fact, writing this out pretty much just convinced me. I’m moving back to Equestria. I’ve been staying with this world’s Twilight while figuring things out, but I haven’t really been able to keep up with rent with my dumb temporary retail job. Plus she wants to invite Timber Spruce to live with her, and… yeah. Things are getting kinda serious between them. :/

So I’m coming to Equestria. Can I stay with you while I get things figured out?

Sincerely,

Sunset

Twilight chuckled, wondering what the meaning of that meh emoticon was. Did Sunset not approve of the human Twilight’s boyfriend? She’ll have to ask her. But she was much more excited about Sunset coming back to live in Equestria. She eagerly wrote her response, completely neglecting to use proper introductions.

Of course you can stay here, the castle’s got plenty of room! Starlight lives here too, I’m sure she’ll love having you around. In fact, I’d like to take you as my apprentice. I think we have a lot to teach each other. Either way, feel free to move in. I can’t wait to see you again.

The response came in moments.

Awesome! I’m already packed, I’ll see you soon!

Twilight hopped up, practically prancing as she ran to the portal room. She waited in front of it, and before long it swirled into life, and an orange mare with a fiery mane stepped through.

She was standing on her back legs, and she wobbled for a moment before looking at Twilight and grinning sheepishly, going back down on all fours.

“This feels weird after all that time on Earth,” Sunset said. She took a few unsteady steps, then figured out how to walk again and trotted forward to greet Twilight, hugging her.

“It’s so good to see you!” Twilight wrapped her wings around her to pull her closer, then let her go so she could grab her bags.

“Same to you! Man, I’ve missed this place.” Sunset turned to her bags, then hesitated, pawing at the handles with her hooves. Then her eyes brightened, and her horn lit up, using magic to lift them. “Sweet! I’ve missed having telekinesis.”

“I bet you have. That’s the first thing I find myself missing when on Earth.” Twilight held out a hoof, giving it a shake. “Though the hands kinda make up for it.”

“Hands are pretty great. There’s so many useful gestures you can make with them.” Sunset looked at her own hoof and sighed. “I’m gonna miss flipping people off.”

“What?”

“Uh… nothing. So, where am I staying?”

Twilight led her from the room. “There’s a section of the castle filled with living areas, and I’ll be giving you a room down there. You can have the one next to Starlight if you want, though there’s plenty of other free ones.”

“Is she quiet? I can’t sleep very well with noise,” Sunset said apologetically.

“Well, she does have a thing for rock music… but she goes to bed at a reasonable time. Plus these walls block a lot of noise.” Twilight tapped on the crystal.

“Alright. Yeah, I’ll take the room next to her.”

“Right this way then.”

They headed through the castle, and out of the corner of her eye, Twilight saw Sunset start twirling her bags, looking very amused.

They entered a hallway with multiple doors along both sides. Twilight went up to one of them and knocked. After a few moments, it opened, and Starlight poked her head out. “Hey, Twilight. What’s up?”

“You have a new neighbor,” Twilight said, moving aside so she could see Sunset.

Starlight squealed. “Sunset!” She leaped toward her and pulled her into a hug.

“Starlight! It’s so good to see you, how have you been?”

“I’ve been great! I’m the school’s guidance counselor and let me tell you, it’s an interesting job.”

“Ooh, that’s so cool.” Sunset showed her her bags. “Well, I’ve been struggling to find my place in the human world since my friends all graduated and moved on with their lives, so… I decided to come home.”

“Well, I’m glad to see you, and I hope you’re able to find your place in Equestria. You’re a very talented magic user, I’m sure Twilight will find work for you.”

Sunset smiled and nodded.

“Yes, I was actually considering her as a teacher,” Twilight said.

Sunset gasped. “Me? A teacher?”

“Sure. You’re very good at understanding people and guiding them. You’ve done so much to help both me, and the people of that other dimension. You have a lot to teach others.”

“Wow. I’m flattered, but… oh goodness, what would I teach?” Sunset looked at Twilight. “You and your friends specifically teach about your elements. I don’t have an element.”

“Actually, you do.” Twilight pointed to Sunset’s neck, and she felt it, realizing that the necklace she had received from the magical crystal was still there. Only it was no longer a round pendant hanging from a chain. She took it off and levitated it in front of her to look at, and stared.

It was now a gold neckband matching the other elements of harmony, with a crimson gemstone shaped like a sun set in it.

“It… looks like my cutie mark,” Sunset said.

“Indeed. You represent a seventh element, one that much like magic, only presents itself when the others come together. My friends and I never unlocked it, but when you joined me and our human friends in defeating the Dazzlings, it revealed itself. Sunset Shimmer…” Twilight took the necklace and gently fit it back around Sunset’s neck. “You are the element of empathy.”

“Whoa.” Sunset touched the gem. “I knew I had unlocked some part of the elements, but I thought the magic was just being shared with me, I never thought… I mean, actually being a bearer? Wow!”

“It’s a great honor. And I think you could teach our students a lot about the importance of having empathy for others. It works closely with kindness of course, but there’s a bit of a difference between being kind, and truly understanding how your friends feel, putting yourself in their shoes and seeing things from their perspective. It’s a great skill to have.”

Sunset nodded in agreement. “Well… if you think I’d be a good teacher, I’m willing to give it a try.”

“Thank you. And I’m sure my friends will be glad to help you.”

“I’m looking forward to meeting them. After so much time with their human counterparts, it’ll be nice to meet their pony selves. Weird, but nice.”

Twilight giggled. “Oh yeah. Well, let’s get you settled in.”

They said bye to Starlight, and went to Sunset’s new room. She looked around it with appreciation, then set her bags down. She opened one and pulled out some sheets and a comforter, and swiftly swapped out the bed covers.

“Sorry, but… I gotta have my flame bed,” Sunset said, folding the original sheets.

Twilight chuckled. “Understandable. I’ll take those then.” She took the sheets, and teleported them away, putting them in storage. “I’m going to let you get things organized. Need anything from me?”

“No thanks, I’m okay. Thank you so much for letting me stay.”

“No problem. I’ll be in the library if you need me. Starlight can show you where it is.” Twilight left, and Sunset got to unpacking.

She levitated her books out of their suitcase, and saw that the room already had a decent-sized, though empty, set of bookshelves. She moved all the books onto it.

Her magical journal, she set carefully on the nightstand next to her bed. She may want to reread it.

She hung framed pictures of her and her friends, and finally took out an item she hadn’t fully thought about… her laptop.

“Oh.” She pulled out the charge cable and frowned. Equestria had electricity. Equestria did not have wall outlets. It was all coming back to her. “Right. Magically-carried wireless electricity. Devices that need electricity have enchanted capacitors that can draw the power from the air. Dang it.”

She would need to finagle with this. She paid good money for this laptop, she was not getting rid of it. It’s been a while since she’s lived in Equestria, she’ll need to research the current technological level and then find a way to get her laptop on the grid.

...Though there was no Internet. Great. Maybe she could work with Twilight on that… she could introduce all sorts of advancements to Equestria.

She set the laptop aside. She’ll deal with that later. Right now her bookshelf was looking very bare and she needed to fix that.

She went next door and found Starlight’s door left open. She leaned in. “Hey, Starlight?”

Starlight was lounging on the bed with headphones on as she read a book. She lowered it, pulling one of the muffs away from her ear. “Yeah?”

“How do I get to the library?”

“Oh, that’s easy.” Starlight paused her music and rested the headphones around her neck, getting up. “I’ll show you the way.”

“Thank you.” Sunset followed her through the castle, doing her best to memorize the path. “So, you’re good with magic, right?”

Starlight smiled. “I like to think so.”

“Heh. Yeah, Twilight’s told me a lot about your talents. So I might have a challenge for you. Do you think you could help me rig up my laptop from the human world to run on Equestrian electricity?”

“Oh. Well I’m not too versed on using magic to power machinery but I can certainly try to help. Might need to do some research. Just one question.”

“Yes?”

“What’s a laptop?”

Sunset sighed. “Oh. Uh, it’s a portable computer. Oh wait, Equestria doesn’t have computers yet. Hm, how should I explain… it’s a device with a screen and keyboard, that allows you to perform a number of tasks. You use the keyboard to type if needed, and there’s either a mouse or trackpad you can use to point to various icons on the screen and click them. And you can do… basically anything with a computer. Mathematical calculations, write reports, organize data, make slideshow presentations, play games, read the news, there’s this whole Internet thing that’s super cool… oh man, Equestria’s missing out.”

“Right, right, the Internet. Twilight was geeking out about all that stuff to me a while back, it seems really complicated. Useful, but complicated. I can try to help you with your device, but no promises.”

“I’ll appreciate any help you can give me.”

Starlight gestured to some large, open crystal doors. “Library is right in here, door is pretty much always open.”

Sunset stared in awe at all the books. The room was immense and nearly every wall was covered in books and scrolls. She trotted in, and Starlight went over to talk to Twilight while Sunset browsed.

“Looking for anything in particular?” Twilight called to her.

“No thanks, just gonna grab whatever looks good!” Sunset read the titles, pulling out everything she was interested in. Then she read their summaries as she ran over to another section.

“Heh, no wonder you’re friends,” Starlight said.

“Yeah… so, this disciplinary report, I think I know what we should do.”

“Oh, okay.”

They discussed it, and Sunset grabbed a few more books out. Then she held them all out in front of herself, and realized she was holding about a dozen. Using magic again felt so natural, and she juggled the books, before stacking them and turning to look at Twilight.

“Is there a limit to how many I can take at once?” she asked.

“Well, with most ponies I set a limit of five books at a time,” Twilight said. “But my friends can take as many as they want. I trust you.” She went ahead and grabbed a cart, pushing it toward Sunset.

Sunset smiled gratefully and began stacking the books onto it.

“Plus she knows where you live so she can hunt you down and get them back,” Starlight added.

Twilight nudged her.

“Got it,” Sunset said humorously. “So, where’s the spellbooks? I’m seriously out of practice with magic.”

Twilight’s eyes lit up, and she bounded out of her chair. “Let me show you! What kind of magic do you want to work with? Charms? Illusion? How about summoning things? Destroying things? Divination is super challenging but I bet you could learn it too!”

“Thanks for the help, but I think I can finish up this report on my own,” Starlight called, and left with her papers.

Twilight waved to acknowledge her, and waited eagerly for Sunset’s reply.

“I like all sorts of types of magic,” Sunset replied. “Though I was pretty fond of destructive spells when I was younger… but these days I’m more interested in enchanting creatures and things, improving my range for teleportation, maybe even getting the self control to levitate myself.”

“Starlight can definitely help with self-levitation. But since you’re out of practice, I’m going to recommend some exercise books for strengthening and refining your magic. It helps you with focus, and to divide your magic between various tasks. Then we can work on the more complicated things like long distance teleportation.” Twilight pulled a few books down and set them on the cart. She tapped one. “This is more geared toward children but you can never go wrong with reviewing the basics. If you have a solid foundation, you can build on it.”

They discussed books as Twilight picked them out. Sunset was interested in all of them, and once the cart was full, she thanked her for the suggestions.

“No problem, I hope it helps,” Twilight said.

Sunset got behind the cart and grabbed the handles with her magic. “Yeah, you aren’t going to see me for a while.”

Twilight laughed. “Well hey, take some time to get reacclimated to your pony body. Practice your magic again. You were Princess Celestia’s star pupil once, you can easily get back to that point.”

Sunset nodded, and began pushing the cart. “You’re the best. See ya.”

“Bye.” Twilight watched her go, then went to pick out a book of her own. She hummed thoughtfully as she flipped through advanced lessons she’s completed with Starlight. She was looking forward to seeing what Sunset was capable of.

Sunset spent days in her room reading, only leaving to grab food and go to the bathroom. Though she also made a quick trip to Canterlot to visit Celestia, getting all her research notes from her from when she was her student.

Celestia welcomed her back and wished her luck in her studies. And Sunset proceeded to hole up in her room again, laying out a fresh notebook and filling it with new notes and observations. Everything was coming back to her. She practiced various spells and had no problem with them. She did experiments, and dabbled in potion making. Though after a miscalculation in the amount of fire drake saliva, her room was filled with noxious gas and she flung the window open, throwing her upper half out of it as she retched and gasped for fresh air.

The gas billowed out, and she saw Starlight, who was sitting in the grass below reading, double over and look up. “Ugh, what is that?” she demanded.

Sunset cast her an apologetic look. “Don’t worry, it’s not poisonous, it just smells really bad! I was practicing my potion making but I’m still pretty bad at it. This was supposed to be a fire protection potion, but well… too much fire drake saliva. And I’m pretty sure I needed one more dragon scale but those are so hard to come by, Spike was only willing to let me pluck so many off him.”

Starlight shook her head. “Well, be careful. And here.” Her horn lit up, and suddenly all the gas vanished.

Sunset looked around. “Whoa. Where did you send it?”

“Surface of the Sun.” Sunset stared, and Starlight said, “What? It’s the perfect trash receptacle, it’s so hot it destroys everything.”

“Huh. I should try that. Okay, thanks!” Sunset went back into her room and frowned at the damaged cauldron. She put out the fire and emptied it out, and then just pulled over a trash bag and threw everything into it. Nope, no more potion making for her.

She went back to her spellwork. She also read history, catching up on what she’s missed. She read about how the elements of harmony were recently returned to their source, a magical tree known as the Tree of Harmony. Which had been born of magic from the Pillars of Equestria thousands of years ago.

“Whoa.” She pulled her element over, gazing at it. “Do you belong on that tree, then?” She looked at her reflection in the shiny gemstone, and decided to go talk to Twilight.

She found her in her bedroom, and she smiled warmly at her when she walked in. “Haven’t seen you in a while.”

“Haha, yeah, I’ve been doing a lot of studying. So, I was wondering…” Sunset showed her the element. “You and your friends returned your elements to the Tree of Harmony, didn’t you?”

“Yes, we did. The tree was suffering, and we returned the elements to revitalize it. And now its magic is able to spread across all of Equestria.”

“So you can’t use them as weapons anymore?”

“Oh, we can still use their magic. We represent them, their magic is bound to us. We don’t need the physical gemstones to use their power.”

“Really? Whoa.” Sunset looked at her element. “So then… do you think I should take mine to the tree? If it’s really bound to me, I don’t need to keep it with me. I’m sure it’ll be safer on the tree than sitting around in the castle.”

Twilight thought about it, then said, “It will definitely benefit Equestria to have it linked back to the tree. I don’t remember seeing a spot for it, but we can go take a look if you want.”

“Yes, I would love to see it, even if it isn’t able to take the element.”

Twilight nodded. “Then I know just the… creature who can get us there immediately. Let’s see if he’s in a good mood.” She moved to the center of the room, and called, “Discord! Discord, can you hear me?”

Sunset cocked her head, eyes narrowing in confusion. Then she yelped when something flashed right in front of her, flailing backward.

Discord stood tall, spreading his arms dramatically. “My ears are burning,” he said, flicking his ears up and down. They were indeed on fire. He laughed and patted them out. “What is it, Twilight?”

Twilight said, “Thanks for coming. First of all, have you met Sunset Shimmer?”

“I can’t say I have, is she related to Starlight Glimmer?” Discord asked.

“Uh… no.”

Discord raised a brow. “Really? Odd. Well anyway!” He held out his lion paw to Sunset, who was still breathing hard. “Nice to meet you, I’m Discord!”

“Discord. Right.” Sunset swallowed, and took his paw. “Twilight’s told me all about you.”

“Has she?” Discord batted his eyelashes at Twilight. “All good things, I hope?”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “The good, and the bad.”

“And the ugly I’m sure.” Discord sighed, putting his hands on his hips. “Well, Sunset, Twilight’s told me about you too. Celestia’s old star pupil, who had radical ambitions to become a powerful magic user and be granted alicorn magic, and become a princess unlike any Equestria has ever seen.” He knelt, playfully tapping Sunset’s nose. “And then Tia said no and you got butthurt and ran away to the human world to plot your revenge and years later you stole Twilight’s element and became a raging she-demon and then got wrecked by the very elements of harmony you were trying to control.”

Sunset stared. Then she groaned. “Uh. Yeah, that’s. Basically it.”

“I’m a huge fan of your work.” Discord grinned at her surprise. “I can appreciate a good villain! Your magic is impressive too, I can just see the power radiating off of you. So, you’re on the good side now, just like me. Still got plans to become a princess?”

“Heh, well…” Sunset rubbed her foreleg awkwardly, glancing at Twilight. “I’ll admit, it would be… really cool to become an alicorn, but I understand that it’s not up to me. If Princess Celestia sees me as worthy, she’ll make it happen. Otherwise, I’m content to be a unicorn.”

“You know Tia isn’t the only one that can make alicorns, right?”

Sunset blinked. “Really?”

“Really really. Any alicorn can grant the power to another alicorn. Now, they can’t do it often. They gotta save up power for it and then transfer it over to cause the transformation. But it’s certainly possibly for anypony to do. Luna could do it. Or Cadance. Even Twilight. But you know, it’s generally good form to get Celestia’s approval.”

Sunset turned to Twilight and smiled. Twilight just shook her head. “Well, that’s very interesting but I don’t even know how to create an alicorn. There are no books on the topic, from what I know it’s a very closely guarded magic passed straight from alicorn to alicorn. I could ask Celestia about it but… being an alicorn has to be earned. Sunset, if I feel like you truly deserve it, I can grant it. But you aren’t ready for it now.”

“I understand. So, Discord.” Sunset looked at the draconequus. “Apparently you can take us directly to the Tree of Harmony?”

“Ooh, are we going on a field trip?” he asked.

“Suppose so.” Sunset showed him her necklace. “I’m the bearer of the element of empathy. I want to return it to the tree to be with its counterparts.”

“Hm, I see. Alright then. Off we go.” Discord set his hands on their withers, teleporting them. It happened so fast Sunset almost felt dizzy. One moment she was looking at the inside of a bedroom, the next she was in a cool cave and looking at a huge, crystalline tree.

“Whoa. It’s beautiful,” Sunset said, walking up to it. She saw the elements all resting in orbs on the branches, each one a different shape and color. Five of them were on the branches, and the sixth, the element of magic, was in the center. Lines of magic linked them all together. Just as Twilight said, there didn’t seem to be a seventh spot for her element.

“Well…” Twilight approached the tree. “It’s worth looking anyway. Come a little closer, and pull the gem out and hold it near the tree.”

Sunset tugged the gem out of its band and walked forward, holding it out. Discord followed curiously behind them.

As Sunset got closer, the other elements seemed to glow more brightly. She found her gaze being drawn toward the center of the tree, where the element of magic was outlined. As she watched, the tree shone, and slowly grew taller, its center widening slightly. Her eyes widened as below the sparkle shape, a new shape formed in the trunk, and within that shape, the outline of a sun. It was similar to the sun that was already present, but while that one was shaped like Celestia’s cutie mark, this new one looked just like hers. Like the element of empathy.

Sunset looked at Twilight, who seemed just as surprised. Then her expression turned gleeful, and she said, “Put the element there. Let’s see what happens.”

“Ah, magic,” Discord said. “Do the thing, see what happens. I love it.”

Sunset briefly hugged her element to her heart, then set it gently in its spot on the tree. Crimson magic flowed from it, linking to the magenta element of magic. The colors swirled together, and then the crimson stretched out to all the branches, joining with the other elements. Sunset felt a strange wave of energy overtake her, and she gasped. Twilight jolted too, and Discord straightened, shoulders tensing for a moment.

“Whoa,” Sunset said.

“Damn,” Discord commented. “Did you two feel that too?”

“I did.” Twilight stared at the tree, as its form finished shifting to accommodate the new element and its glow faded. “That was. Very interesting.”

“I’m not sure if I liked or disliked that feeling,” Sunset said.

“It wasn’t a good or bad thing. It was just a surge of neutral magic. Magic with endless potential.” Twilight touched the element. “It was good that you brought it to the tree. Ponies all across Equestria will feel this magic. But… the element didn’t originate here.”

“It didn’t? So where did it come from?”

“I don’t know.” Twilight frowned. “Each of these elements originated from one of the Pillars of Equestria. Their names may have changed, but their meanings have stayed the same. Honesty, from Rockhoof’s strength. Laughter, from Somnambula’s hope. Generosity, from Mistmane’s beauty. Kindness, from Mage Meadowbrook’s healing. Loyalty, from Flash Magnus’s bravery. And finally, Magic, derived from Starswirl the Bearded’s sorcery.” She turned to look at Sunset and Discord. “Those six provided the magic that became these elements. But there wasn’t a seventh member who contributed some form of empathy. At least… not that I know of. I know Stygian was with them, but… I don’t think he provided anything. And Ponhenge, where the Pillars’s artifacts were used, didn’t have a seventh spot. Hm, this definitely calls for study. Maybe Starswirl would know something…”

“Good job, Sunset,” Discord said. “Now she’ll be obsessed with yet another research project for the next several weeks.”

Twilight chuckled. “Well, I probably won’t obsess over it too much. But I’m definitely very curious. I might do some reading. And interviews with the Pillars. And take measurements from the tree…”

Discord shook his head. “Well, are we done here?”

Twilight had already poofed up a notebook and a tape measure, and was making notes about the tree. “Mm, you can take Sunset back, I’ll come back once I’m done here.”

“Oh boy. Alright, come on.” Discord held out his hand and Sunset took it, and they teleported back.

“That’s really cool, how fast you can teleport,” Sunset said. “Just touch someone and wow, off you go.”

“Oh I don’t actually need to touch you to teleport you. I just tend to do it so you have some warning. People get very upset when I just suddenly teleport them. I don’t need you running into a wall and hurting yourself.”

“Oh. Well thanks.” Sunset looked at her empty necklace. “So my element’s helping protect Equestria and Twilight is obsessed with figuring out where it came from. Guess I’ll just go back to my reading.”

“Have fun. And make sure Twilight eats, she tends to forget when she starts a new project. See ya around, Sunbutt the Second!” Discord poofed away.

Sunset blinked, looked at her flank, and sighed. What a weird creature. But she kinda liked him. She went back to her room.

Twilight, despite her claims, did end up getting obsessed with finding the origin of the seventh element. The Pillars had no ideas. Stygian assured her that he didn’t contribute magic to the Tree of Harmony’s seed. Celestia and Luna were intrigued but said the tree only had the six elements when they visited it all those years ago.

Sunset walked in while Twilight was buried in yet another book.

“You know, the elements of harmony seem to exist in both worlds,” she said. “While all of Equestria’s stayed here, me and my human friends found magical crystals in our world that seemed to have all their properties. That’s where my element came from. I’m sure bringing any of those here would transform them to look like your elements.”

Twilight stared at her, then grabbed a quill and started writing. “Of course! But then, if you brought the human version of that element over here, does that mean that our world still has one? And if so, that still leaves the question of who made it! And of course, where the human variants of the elements came from.”

“Well, magic has been flowing across the portal into the human world for years now, causing all sorts of interesting effects. It could be that our crystals were just normal rocks, but somehow they absorbed Equestrian magic from each element, since the elements are linked to your human counterparts too now. And by fate, we all managed to find them.” Sunset saw Twilight nodding in agreement to that idea, continuing to write. “But as for where the heck empathy came from, and if it’s an element here, I just don’t know.”

“Well hey, you gave me some interesting things to work with. It could just be that upon entering the human world, for some reason the harmony magic needed to split off into empathy. Perhaps it was important for there to be a specific element for it there. Hm.” Twilight looked up. “By chance, did you ever meet the human world’s Sunset?”

Sunset shook her head. “No, never. And I definitely looked. My intentions… weren’t the best when I first got there, so it’s good I didn’t find my counterpart. But once I opened myself up to friendship, I wanted to find her and get to know her. But I never could. She never attended Canterlot High or Crystal Prep. I’m a few years older than you so I figured maybe she was in college? Looked, but still couldn’t find her.” Sunset shrugged. “Oh well.”

“Hm. Well, if we ever find her, and also find Equestria’s element of empathy, maybe we could bring it to her.”

Sunset laughed. “Yeah, that’d be good.”

“Thanks for your help. I really do like the theory that the magic simply manifested differently upon reaching the human world and created seven elements there, while our world only needed the six. Might be why the magic felt so weird when we connected it to the tree. It wasn’t intended for Equestria, but was accepted nonetheless since it still derives from the same magic.”

“Could be.” Sunset looked over her notes. “I’m sure a couple of clever mares like us will figure it out eventually.”

Twilight smiled. “I’m sure we will.”

Sunset looked back toward the door and pulled in the cart. “By the way, I finished all these.”

“Oh, nice!” Twilight started returning them to their spots. “What’d you think?”

“I learned a lot. But the magic came so easily to me, just like old times. Though I’m still bad at making potions. Heh. But I think I’m ready to get back to advanced magic like I was learning with Celestia.”

“Are you sure? Remember what happened last time you got to that level?”

“I know,” Sunset said hastily. “But I’ve changed. I was selfish and greedy back then. But I’ve realized how wrong I was. I want to be a skilled magic user, not to rule Equestria, but to serve it. I want my talents to better society. I want to be able to pass on what I know to the next generations. I want to be able to experiment and maybe even create new magic like you did. I just… want to learn all I can. And I want you to help me.”

Twilight stared at her. Then she smiled and hugged her. “Well, you are my student, aren’t you? I’ll teach you all I know.” She brought over a new set of books. “I know you’ll do good things.”

“Yes, I promise. I’ll never let the darkness tempt me again.”

“I’m glad to hear that. So, here’s what I’ve got for you.” Twilight laid the books out and showed them to her. “This is Mastery of the Arcane. It’s a very thorough guide to various schools of magic that will allow you to obtain proficiency in all of them, as long as you have the skill and desire for it. I think you have what it takes. And here… I got with Celestia and got copies of the books you studied the most with her. And a few she tried to keep you from. She thinks you’re ready for them now.” She pointed out a few of them. “Such as this one on interdimensional travel. It goes into depth on devices like the mirror portal, and other artifacts and magic I’m sure you’ll find very interesting.” She pointed out Crossing Over.

“Whoa.” Sunset reverently touched the book. “Thank you so much for getting these for me.”

“No problem. And every single one of these will be yours to keep.”

“Really?”

“Yep. That bookshelf of yours needed some decoration.” Twilight winked at her, and she laughed. “But the knowledge in these books is not for everypony. Guard them closely. Don’t let just anypony go about reading them. Starlight can browse through them. We can trust her, and our other friends. But strangers… I wouldn’t risk it.”

“Got it.”

Twilight opened one of the books. “Now, I was wondering. You told me that you gained an ability to hear thoughts and see memories when you touched people. Can you still do that?”

“Hm, you know I haven’t checked since being back. I’ve gotten pretty good at turning it off and on. But let me see.” Sunset reached out her hoof. “Give me your arm. Er, foreleg.”

Twilight lifted it, and Sunset touched her hoof to it, focusing. Clear as day, she heard Twilight’s voice echo in her head, If this works we’ll have so much to learn from each other.

Sunset lowered her hoof. “We definitely have a lot to learn from each other.”

Twilight grinned. “So you can still do it!”

“Guess I can. Wow. I only heard your thoughts but if I really focused I’m sure I could see your memories.”

“Hm… oh, I’ve got one.” Twilight took Sunset’s hoof. “What can you see?”

Sunset’s eyes glazed over as she looked deeper into Twilight’s mind. She saw… herself. Only, her human form. She realized she was looking through Twilight’s eyes, seeing herself silhouetted against the light from an open fridge.

“We really are lucky you’re here,” she said. Wow, was that how she sounded to others? Then she proceeded to turn to the fridge, finding nothing but whipped cream.

Sunset smiled and broke away from the memory. “It was when we were discussing the counterspell for the Dazzlings, at Pinkie’s house.”

“Yes. I really appreciated your support. I had no idea what I was doing, but you believed in me, and I’m glad you did. And with your help, we were able to stop the sirens from brainwashing the entire school into being their slaves.” Twilight wrapped her foreleg around Sunset’s, her expression gentle as she gazed at her. “Thank you. You’re such a good person.”

Sunset blinked, face growing hot. And with their skin contact, she faintly heard, I wish I could tell her how beautiful she is.

Sunset jerked her foreleg away, definitely blushing now, and Twilight’s eyes widened.

“Oh. Oh, did you hear…?” Sunset nodded, and Twilight groaned and covered her face. “I’m sorry, it just kinda… I mean, thoughts just kinda do what they want, just all over the place, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, you just…”

Sunset touched her cheek and she stilled, staring at her. Sunset slowly stroked her fur, and said, “I think you’re beautiful too. Your mane just glows with all the colors of dusk and your eyes are the most gorgeous I’ve ever seen.”

Twilight blushed. “Oh? Oh, um… thank you. You… have pretty eyes too. I love green.”

“Really? How cute… I’ve always loved purple.” Sunset was amused by how red Twilight’s cheeks got. “Hey, you wanna hear a secret?”

Twilight’s ears perked. “What’s that?”

“You wanna know why I was kinda irritated about the human Twilight getting with Timber Spruce?”

“Um… I don’t know, why?”

“Because you look just like her. And it was as if I was seeing you with someone else. And it made me jealous. I know it’s irrational, she’s different from you, but I have quite the imagination. I’m happy for her of course. But maybe… you and I…” Sunset trailed off, growing nervous. “I mean, I know you’re a princess, you’re probably too good for someone like me, but well… I have a crush on you. I have since the battle of the bands.” She turned away, sitting down and dropping her head. “Ugh. Why did I tell you all that?”

Twilight walked over to her, petting between her withers. She sighed, relaxing and looking over as Twilight sat next to her. “It’s okay. I’m glad you were honest with me. And your feelings are valid. The heart wants what it wants. And, well… I really like you too. I really admire how much you’ve bettered yourself, how you always strive to learn and improve, and you’re so, so compassionate. I guess I tried not to dwell on it, but well… I may have just the smallest crush on you too. And I’m certainly not ‘too good’ for somepony like you. We’re friends. I’m not better than you.”

Sunset smiled, and leaned slightly against her. “That means a lot to me. Thank you. So… a crush on me, huh?”

“Heh… yeah.”

“And I have a crush on you. So… I think this works out.”

“Oh. Oh, guess so.” Twilight seemed flustered.

Sunset found it endearing, and kissed the corner of her mouth. Twilight jumped, and Sunset said, “You’re cute when you’re speechless.”

Twilight settled, and nuzzled her. “You’re too sweet.”

“Mm, don’t tell anyone.” Sunset leaned into Twilight’s wing as she wrapped it around her. “I gotta maintain my bad girl persona.”

“Hah! Okay, bad girl.” Twilight snuggled with her, and Sunset felt so warm and safe with that large wing around her, Twilight’s hide against hers.

“Speaking of being a bad girl... I should probably buy myself a leather jacket for here, I gave away all my human clothes…”

“Uh, Sunset?”

“Hm?”

“Equestria doesn’t have leather clothes. At least, not like the leather on Earth. Cows are sentient here.”

“Oh! Oh God, I am so sorry, I forgot.”

“Heh, it’s okay. We do have cork leather though, made from cork tree bark. The texture is pretty similar and with dyes you can have a black one just like that nice jacket you had on Earth.”

“Oh, good. Okay then. Let’s do that.”

“Wanna go shopping? You need to get some fresh air anyway.”

“Heh…” Sunset stood, extending a hoof to help Twilight up. “Sure. Let’s go shopping.”